DP World CEO Resigns Amid Epstein Ties & P&O Ferries Controversy
- The head of Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, has resigned as group chair and chief executive following the surfacing of emails linking him to...
- DP World announced the immediate resignation on Friday, February 13, 2026.
- The controversy centers around emails disclosed by the US Department of Justice.
DP World Chief Steps Down Amid Epstein Ties
The head of Dubai-based logistics giant DP World, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, has resigned as group chair and chief executive following the surfacing of emails linking him to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes after mounting pressure on the state-backed company to take action in response to the revelations.
DP World announced the immediate resignation on Friday, . Essa Kazim has been named as the new chair, and Yuvraj Narayan as the new chief executive.
The controversy centers around emails disclosed by the US Department of Justice. In a email, Sulayem reportedly described a young woman he met two years prior, who attended an American university in Dubai, as “the best sex I ever had amazing body.” He added, “She got engaged but now she back with me.”
Further scrutiny arose after Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who has reviewed unredacted Epstein files, stated that the Justice Department appeared to confirm Sulayem received an email from Epstein expressing admiration for a “torture video.”
Sulayem, who is the brother of Mohammed Ben Sulayem, head of the FIA (the governing body of Formula One), had led DP World – and its predecessor entities – for more than four decades. He oversaw the company’s transformation from an operator of Dubai’s Jebel Ali port into a global logistics powerhouse.
The fallout from the Epstein revelations has extended beyond Sulayem’s departure. This week, two of DP World’s largest international partners, Canada’s La Caisse pension fund and British International Investment (BII), initially announced they would halt future deals with the group. However, BII reversed course on Friday, stating they would resume investment projects.
“We welcome today’s decision by DP World and look forward to continuing our partnership to advance the development of key African trading ports to unlock the continent’s global trading potential,” a BII spokesperson said.
DP World’s portfolio includes six ports in Canada, the London Gateway container port, and P&O Ferries, which it acquired in for £3.3 billion. The company briefly sold the ferry business around the time of the financial crisis, before reacquiring it in for £322 million.
The company has faced criticism in recent years, notably for P&O Ferries’ controversial decision in to fire 800 staff and replace them with cheaper agency workers. A diplomatic row also erupted in over DP World’s attendance at a government investment summit after then-Transport Secretary Louise Haigh called for a boycott of P&O Ferries.
The situation at DP World mirrors a broader wave of repercussions stemming from the release of Epstein-related documents. On Thursday, Kathy Ruemmler, the top lawyer at Goldman Sachs and a former White House counsel to Barack Obama, resigned after emails revealed a close relationship with Epstein, where she referred to him as “Uncle Jeffrey.”